Caramelized Balsamic Red Onion Soup

I realised I have this thing for Balsamic Vinegar. I always thought it was a fancy, hoity-toity thing to eat olive oil, balsamic vinegar and bread. I didn't understand why people just ate bread and oily vinegar together. Then I had some one day, I was like 'my heavens this is some good shit'. But you have to have the right kind of bread for it. A nice dense french bread or even sourdough. Love sourdough! Anyway, finally bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar because I was craving it. So I started adding it to everything I cooked. Since I love onions and I love balsamic vinegar, why not make a balsamic onion soup? Have to warn you: you must only eat this in small portions, don't drink gallons of it like I did, because the vinegar starts getting a bit intoxicating after a while and you feel like you're on a Redbull high or something. It was awesomely yummy nonetheless. But you must control your gluttonous tendencies with this.

Your Challenge: cook summin' super-sonic balsamic!

 Ready---Steady---Cook!

Caramelized Balsamic Red Onion Soup

(Makes 4 servings)

INGREDIENTS:  

1/4 cups olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 large red onions, thinly sliced 
5 Mushrooms, sliced

1 bunch fresh Coriander, chopped 

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 teaspoons salt 

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

2 tablespoons prepared mustard 

3 cups water 

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1 Chicken soup cube (Maggi) 

METHOD:  

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat for one minute. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan, and then add the butter. Once it melts, add the garlic, sliced onions and salt, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn golden brown, about 30 minutes.

2. Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and mustard, stir well, and cook for five minutes.

3. Pour in the 3 cups of water, and turn the heat to high. Add the Chicken soup cube, Mushrooms and Coriander and let it boil.

4. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Season the soup with black pepper and, if needed, more salt. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a crouton. Serve immediately with cheesy bread. 

Challenge Accepted ???

Enjoy!

Tosakanth

French Onion Soup

I have been telling my friend DashGlowPrincess to come over for dinner for a while so I can cook her an awesome romantic 3 course meal just for funzies. Eventually after much fuss and persuasion she finally decided to grace me with her presence. I cooked up an absolute storm that night, if I can say so my self.. so the romantic dinner menu included:

Starter: French Onion Soup with Cheesy Garlic Bread

Main: Cheese Stuffed Chicken Wrapped in Bacon with Crispy Herbed Baked Potatoes

Dessert: Cheesecake Brownie Swirl 

Just realised that 'CHEESE' may have been the theme for the night. I didn't plan that one out well enough I guess. Oh well. anyway, one can never have too much cheese. we had a great time. and the food was pretty delish too. win-win!

Your  challenge: Cook some soup and give me a hoot!

Ready --- Steady --- Cook

French Onion Soup

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)  

60g butter, chopped  
2 tablespoons olive oil  
6 (1kg) brown onions, thinly sliced  
2 teaspoons brown sugar  
2 tablespoons plain flour  
4 cups beef stock    
3 cloves of garlic, chopped 

METHOD:

1. Heat butter and oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-low heat until sizzling. 
2. Add garlic, onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, uncovered, stirring often, for 45 to 50 minutes or until onions are very soft. 
3. Stir in sugar and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until onions caramelise.
4. Add flour to saucepan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. 
5. Add stock and 2 cups water. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes to allow flavours to combine.
6. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with cheese, season with pepper and serve. 

Challenge Accepted ???

Enjoy!

Tosakanth
 

Chili Chicken

Back in 2008 my sister cooked this amazing Chili Chicken and Sticky Rice for my mom and I when we went to visit her in the UK. It was out of this world. super spicy and super awesome. I've been telling her to recreate that for years now but she has never been able to get it right. When they came to visit me in June 2012, she tried making it but wasn't as good because she made it a curry instead of a dry Devilled Chili Chicken. Yesterday, I was craving some super yummy chicken and also my food stock for the week had finished so I decided to try whipping up this amazing Chili Chicken. I must say that it turned out really really really well. A pretty close match to my sister's one. 

Your Challenge: Cook some Chicken in your kitchen!

Ready --- Steady --- Cook

Chili Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

300g Chicken (roughly 3-4 thighs)

1 Onion (sliced)

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

3 tbs Chili Paste 

2 tbs Sugar

3 tbs Sweet Chili Sauce

3 tbs Cooking Oil

Salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Heat the oil, add the garlic and onions and temper until onions are soft or brown and set aside.

2. Add the chicken to the pan with some oil and cook for 10 mins or until chicken is cooked.

3. Add the onions to the chicken and mix well

4. add the chili paste, sweet chili sauce and sugar and mix well.

5. add salt if needed

6. taste and adjust spicy-ness to taste.. if too spicy add more sugar, if you want it to be dynamite add more chili paste or dry chili pieces

Note: You can buy Chili Paste in any Asian shop or Supermarket. It's generally made with garlic, shallots, Thai dried chili peppers, tamarind, shrimp paste and palm sugar. Alternatively, if you want to go totally home-made, here's a thai chili paste recipe or the best one to use is this dynamite recipe.
You could also add some broccoli and red bell peppers to the chicken to make it extra Thai like.

Challenge Accepted ???

Enjoy!

Tosakanth

Pol Roti (Coconut Flat Bread) & Lunu Miris

One fine day I was on the train and I could smell someone eating a banana and for some weird reason I could also smell butter. The only thing that came to mind the moment that aroma hit my nostrils was -- POL ROTI. This probably doesn't mean anything to you. Pol Roti is a very traditional, standard Sri Lankan breakfast meal. Pol = Coconut, Roti = Roti/flat bread. We normally eat it with Lunu Miris, which is a super duper spicy dynamite onion sambol thingy, Onion curry or Dhal curry. Alternatively, kids like to butter it when its hot off the hot plate and eat it with a banana. It's soooooooo goood. You have to try it out, it's super duper simple to make, and super duper yummy. So here's the recipe to super duper Pol Roti:

Your Challenge: make some roti and feed a hottie!

 

Ready --- Steady --- Cook

Pol Roti

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Whole Wheat flour

1 cup Plain Self Raising flour

1 cup shredded coconut (or 3/4 cups desiccated coconut soaked in 1/4 cup of water)

1/2 onion chopped
Salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Mix the all the ingredients in a bowl. 

2. Next add cold water little by little so that all the ingredients come together to form a dough. Take care not to get it too wet.
3. If the dough is too wet add a little bit of flour.
4. Knead the dough and break into balls of about 2" diameter.
5. Flatten on a floured board or plate using your palms. If more crispy crust is desired, roll using rolling pin. on Cook in a heated heavy bottom pan till 6.golden brown on both sides under medium heat.

Accompany it with some Lunu Miris or butter and a banana.

makes: 10 - 12 Roti 


Lunu Miris

INGREDIENTS:

1 Onion diced

Chilli powder

Dry Chilli Pieces 

Lime Juice

Salt

Maldive Fish

METHOD:

add all the ingredients together and mix well. you can add extra lime juice to get an extra kick. 

once all the ingredients are mixed together, put it in a mortar and pestle and grind it. 

Challenge Accepted ???

Enjoy!

Tosakanth